Journey to Water's Heart

by Lea Ben Shlomo

Tanti tossed a stone at them. Sinbar caught it quickly, just before it hit him on the head. He sent a furious look at Tanti. When he saw Tanti was grinning, he flung the rock back at him. Blaind saved his younger brother from injury when he snatched the rock out of the air and then examined it.

  “Topaz!” he shouted. “Where did you find it?” He hurried to show his father the stone.

  “Up. Listen, if you climb up a bit more, you’ll be able to see the flag at the entrance of the cave.”

  “How did you find it?” Blaind asked.

  “I just went,” Tanti said. “I felt the stone calling me. You know what I mean? I felt this upside-down current, and I followed it.”

  “Upside-down current?” Tarkian smiled. “Listen closely to the boy. He’ll be a true mine explorer.” He turned to Sinbar. “What do you think? Is this a good stone?”

  Sinbar took the stone, spit on it, and rubbed it. “I see good signs. Blaind, what do you think?”

  “I say I give up. Go with your currents and I’ll follow you.”

  “You think we can get something out of it?” Tarkian asked his eldest son.

  “I don’t know,” Sinbar said. “At the moment, it looks like the turd of an eagle.”

  “Sinbar, put your anger aside for now,” their father said. “Check the stone. You know exactly what’s inside.”

  Sinbar smacked Tanti’s neck. “Damn you, my sweet little brother,” he said. He then looked at the stone and turned it over. “No doubt this is a good stone. Tanti found a rare deposit of topaz.” Again, he reached toward Tanti’s head, who was fast enough to duck this time.

  “Sinbar,” his father said. “Check the stone now.”

  Sinbar smiled. He cradled the stone in his hand, took a few steps away, pulled a chisel out of his belt, tapped it lightly, and then hit it forcefully with one accurate hit. He turned back to them, holding a round, bright lump of crystal. Tanti was amazed as he took the stone from him. “How did you do that?”

  “Upside-down current,” Sinbar said.

  They stood around the stone as though bewitched.

  “Come, Tanti,” Tarkian said. “Take us to your deposit. We must mark it, map a route, and return to the valley before darkness falls.”

  The three of them collected their belongings. Only Tanti continued standing, fascinated by the magnificent stone. He thought he saw figures running through the shining lump. Laughing purple eyes and a fair image, draped in white, flowed and faded in the heart of the topaz.

  Cries, whines, and the sound of stones rolling startled him out of his dream. Down below, on the path, appeared a carriage harnessed to horses.

  “Damn,” Blaind said. “Thieves. They’re attacking a convoy in the gully.”

  “Hurry,” Tarkian said. “We’ll slide through the cliff path. Don’t lose eye contact with each other and with me, boys.”

  They climbed down quickly. Tanti hid the precious stone in his pocket and slid down after his brothers.

  “Stay out of their sight,” their father said.

  Below, in the gully, a battle raged between the unbalanced forces. The first carriage stopped abruptly, and the carriage following it ran into it and turned over. The people who managed to climb out of it found themselves facing a gang of armed bandits. The wounded screamed, and the men in the convoy tried to defend their family members, while the bandits, about ten in number, beat them and quickly stripped them of their possessions. They collected the women and children and started ripping the jewelry from their necks, bracelets, and rings from their hands, while mercilessly hurting them. The women hurried to take off their earrings before the robbers could tear their earlobes in their greed. The ruffians quickly discovered a jewelry chest filled to the brim and emptied it with hoots of laughter and cries of joy.

  While they laughed gleefully in the face of the treasure chest, one of the girls managed to sneak away and escape the weeping group, rushing into a grove on the side of the road. It was Galena, the daughter of Klomel, the jeweler from Yipnon.

  Two of the bandits noticed her escape and chased her. She was quick and light-footed, and it looked as though she’d manage to escape. Unfortunately, she stumbled over an errant branch and fell.

  She tried to get up, but her injured leg prevented her from making progress. One of the bandits caught up with her, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up until she stood on one leg, trembling, frightened, and in pain. Blood gushed from a gash on her forehead and stained her dress.

  “This is my lucky day,” the younger bandit said. “I win the most precious gem.” His friend drew closer, and the first bandit shoved him away.

  “I caught her. Go look for someone else.”

  “I saw her before you did,” his friend said and grasped her other arm.

  “You should’ve run faster,” said the first one.

  “Hey, hey!” Galena yelled and pulled her arms from the two men fighting over her. “What are you talking about? You found the jewels, robbed and hurt women and children. And now, you big heroes, get out of here with your loot and let us take care of those we can still take care of.”

  “Right,” said the second bandit. “You go grab the gold. Leave me here, with this diamond.”

  “Forget about it,” said the first and shoved his friend. A bunch of jewelry fell and scattered about in the grass.

  The girl looked at the doomed jewelry made by her artisan father with tears in her eyes. She kneeled on her bruised knees and started collecting the precious jewels. Among them was a half-processed diamond that, if sold, could keep food on their table and clothes on their backs for a year at least. Galena was worried about her father. She didn’t know what had happened to him. “You’ve stolen the work of many months.” She wept. “You parasites. Living off the toil of others.”

  The bandits ceased with their argument and turned to her. “A man has to make a living, my dear,” one of them said.

  “A man shouldn’t make a living from another man’s hard work. What about us? What will we live on now?”

  “Don’t worrymy pretty. You’re in good hands now.” The bandit came to her from behind, and his arms circled her. Galena wriggled out of his grasp and started running.

  Once again, her wounded leg betrayed her, and she stumbled. In despair, she flung the diamond at them. The robber noticed this and ducked. The stone flew toward his friend’s face and suddenly disappeared in a fist that appeared out of nowhere and swallowed the stone. The three looked in surprise at the young man with the golden mane.

  “A most handsome diamond,” he said, approaching Galena. He helped her stand on her feet and placed the diamond in her hand.

  The two bandits rushed to attack him, unaware that their adversary possessed the strongest and fastest fist in Izmeran. Within seconds, one of them was sprawled on the grass unconscious, while his friend fled as fast as he could. Blaind approached the girl and examined the wound on her forehead. She was no longer trembling. Her eyes were set on his face as he cleaned the blood and helped her gather the scattered jewelry. Their hands met when they both reached out for a necklace of tiny roses made out of rubies.

  “A masterpiece,” Blaind said. “This looks like the work of the renowned Klomel.”

  “Klomel is my father,” Galena said. “And you saved our precious jewels. As well as me,” she added, flushing slightly.

  “Blaind!” The two were startled by Tanti shouting as he arrived at a run.

  He pulled his brother’s sleeve and pointed at their father, who was wrestling one of the bandits on the path. Blaind sent one last glance at the girl and rushed to help his father.

  By the time Blaind reached the man holding his father, Tanti was hanging from his neck, his legs flailing and kicking. It didn’t seem to impress the bandit much. He sent his hand back, gripped Tanti’s neck, pulled him over his back, and flung him away from him, toward the rocks at th
e edge of the canyon. Luckily, Sinbar was standing there after he had finished tying the hands of one of the bandits, and he managed to catch Tanti.

  Blaind slammed his fist down on the head of the huge robber. Sinbar dropped Tanti and went to help his brother. The robber managed to kick Tanti in the stomach, flinging him to the ground, as Blaind and his father rushed to grab his hands and tie them together. “Are you all right, Tanti?” Tarkian asked.

  Tanti nodded in spite of the awful pain that paralyzed him to the point where he couldn’t utter a word. His brothers and father had already turned away to deal with the rest of the bandits, placing themselves between the people of the convoy and their assailants. The remaining robbers had already suffered from Blaind’s iron fist, while his brother and father assisted him. Sinbar pulled their hands back as his father tied them with ropes and straps and anything else he found. Then they hoisted them on one of the carriages and bound their feet as well. Tanti desperately wanted to help him, yet he still couldn’t stand.

  The bandits rarely encountered opposition. When they saw their beaten friends drop to the ground, the remaining robbers fled to their horses at the grove and galloped away as fast as they could. Four of them remained tied up in the carriage.

  Only when the immediate danger had passed did the convoy people realize how great their disaster was. Two people had paid with their lives when the bandits attacked. Their families, who now noticed their dear ones lying under the wheels of the carriage, gathered around them, and choked sounds of sorrow indicated just how great this tragedy was. Tarkian hurried to cover them with swaths of cloth.

  Klomel, leader of the convoy, who had sustained injuries to his leg and chest, managed to pull himself together and instructed everyone to gather the jewelry scattered along the road. His daughter, Galena, helped take care of the wounded. Two women gathered the children in one of the carriages, trying to calm them down. Joining forces, the young, able-bodied men of the group managed to turn over the carriage that had been upended.

  Before the convoy continued, Klomel and his people went to Tarkian and his sons to thank them. Tanti stood, clutching his stomach, ashamed of his poor contribution to the fight. “Why didn’t you take guards to escort you?” Sinbar asked.

  “There have never been any bandit attacks on this stretch of the road,” said Klomel. “We were told that the gully road was safe.”

  “It was until today,” Sinbar said. “But the situation is deteriorating. There are attacks on jewelers all over the country.”

  As they talked, Tanti approached the prisoners and went through their stuff. He pulled out more bags of jewelry and slapped the bandits’ necks. His father came and stopped him. “Don’t hit people who are tied up. Let the lawmen handle them.” He turned to his two other sons. “Listen, there are wounded that we have to take care of and casualties. We have to bring them all into the city as fast as we can, stay the night there, and tomorrow return to map the mine. And you, my brave girl, what is your name?”

  “My name is Galena, sir. Forgive me, but we can’t return with you. My father and I, despite everything that happened here, have to make it to the fair and sell the jewelry. I managed to retrieve quite a lot of my father’s jewelry, and we still have buyers waiting for us there.”

  “We also have to sell the products of the wounded,” Klomel said. “For their families. Some of the merchandise is traded for vegetables, fruit, and flour. We can’t leave these families to starve. Could you be so kind as to help us unharness one horse for riding and one to carry the merchandise?”

  “Of course we’ll help. However, you can’t go with such an amount of precious stones. It’s possible that the bandits who fled are waiting for you down the road.”

  “I’ll accompany them,” said Tanti, his back still hunched over from the pain in his stomach.

  Blaind frowned at him. His father patted Tanti’s shoulder and said, “I need you here to fix the carriages and lead the convoy carrying the dead and injured. We have a lot of work, and tomorrow you have to lead us to the mine you discovered. Blaind, you will accompany Klomel and his daughter, Galena, and join us after finishing with the selling and buying. You know how to find us in the mountains. I’ll leave a message for you with the shepherds.”

  Galena stood on the path in her dusty dress, the red gash standing out on her forehead. A slight smile spread over her concerned face. She determinedly went to work.

  “One moment,” Sinbar said to the convoy people who turned to the carriages. “I think I have something that can compensate you, in a way, for today’s losses.” He winked at Tanti, who hurried to take the magnificent topaz out of his pocket and hand it to Klomel.

  The jeweler stood astounded. He held the stone in his hand and examined it from every direction. Then he returned it to Tanti. “I’ve never seen such a magnificent topaz stone. No, I can’t take it from you… Its value is higher than all of our possessions put together!”

  Tarkian came closer. “If not for you, then for your people. Don’t refuse my sons’ gift.” He took the stone out of Tanti’s hand and said, “Blaind.”

  Without waiting, he threw the precious stone toward his son. Blaind reached out quickly and caught it. “You’ll know how to bargain and get a good price for it. The jewelry merchants will be able to buy whatever they need.”

  Blaind smiled. “Of course,” he said and joined Galena and Klomel.

  “We’ll never forget your kindness and courage,” Klomel said emotionally. He waved, signaling to his people to start moving.

  Chapter 3

  Izmeran

  The vast canopy of the carob tree marked their next stop. Below it, down the mountain, was a rock wall, from which a spring gently spouted, touching and saturating the tops of the green ferns. The Marin family stopped there, throwing their packs on the ground. They had just returned from the new mine and were on their way to their village, after traveling for days in the mountains. They had led the miners to the new deposit of topaz stones Tanti had found. Mining would begin soon. Now they could return home. Their work was done for now, and like they always did on their way back, they stopped at their hidden corner by the spring.

  Tarkian and Sinbar removed one stone from the rock wall, and water gushed out, clear and clean. The four of them quickly undressed and bathed in the cool water for a long time. They knew that this time, an especially warm welcome was waiting for them, as a result of their great success in locating the new mine.

  Tall Sinbar wore his white shirt and black trousers, and slipped his feet into the leather boots that he was so proud of. Blaind hung a mirror on one of the tree’s branches. He combed his light hair, which grazed his shoulders, and shaved his beard. Tanti took his time putting on his colorful attire: burgundy pants, a wide-sleeved golden tunic, a vest of deep blue velvet, and a belt of tassels of red, blue, green, and purple. On his head, he wore a hat embroidered with silk strings. He tried to elbow his brothers aside in order to look in the mirror as well, but his father grasped his shoulder, indicating that he wait.

  “It seems that you’ll forever have to stop me and put me in my place, Father,” Tanti said. “It’s a shame I’m not as talented as my older brothers.”

  “Don’t say that, Tanti. Don’t belittle yourself.” He extended his hand. “Look at my hand. You see, every finger is of a different size. Every finger has its own special role and worth. Just like us. We’re one family, and we’re all different from each other. And you, your skills are just as important as Sinbar’s and Blaind’s. You’re just young.”

  “And energetic,” Tanti said.

  “Yes, young and energetic.”

  Tarkian looked fondly at his boys, helping each other to gather their belongings and prepare to continue their journey. With the help of his oldest, powerful son, he put the rock back in place, and the cascade of water became, once again, a gentle trickle, caressing the ferns. Sinbar shoved his dirty c
lothes in his pack and slung it on his back. Tanti hurried to put Blaind’s clothes back in place and put the pack on his brother’s back. Then he gathered his clothes and winked at his father. “I’m improving, right?”

  “You’ll never improve, my flailing, colorful, flamboyant brother,” Sinbar said. “But that’s fine. I love you just the way you are, with your upside-down currents. Come on, whistle and call the horses. Mother is waiting for us, as are all of the village girls.”

  Tanti put his fingers in his mouth and whistled piercingly. Out of nowhere appeared four horses, who had been waiting for them since the day they had embarked on their journey in the mountains.

  While they rode, Tanti pulled a small lute out of his saddle bag, tuned the instrument, and started playing and singing:

  You, my girl, are lovely and your eyes lovely too.

  I long to for your lips’ sweet kiss and draw near to you,

  Look and see the stars above

  For tonight is our night of love.

  Tanti’s melodic voice filled the valley. The air turned clear and soft. Gayalo, Tanti’s horse, responded with a long neigh. His neck was white, long, and slender, and he would stretch it and whinny every time Tanti would sing. When Gayalo liked the song, he would sound his voice. When he didn’t, he would turn his head back, his neck stretching flexibly, his huge eyes growing even bigger, and would pout with displeasure. Tanti would immediately change the melody or tune his lute, and continue with his song until he once again received that neigh of agreement.

  “E-eeee…” Sinbar mimicked the horse’s voice.

  Gayalo stretched his neck and huffed contemptuously, as if saying, Let the singers sing, the poets recite, and as for you, pfft.

  Tanti and his father laughed. Blaind continued riding quietly, caught up in his own thoughts.

  They still had about an hour to ride. They were in a rush to reach their village, which sat on the riverbank, the round hills covered with soft, green grass, and the towering Shernan trees, under which the village people would gather every evening.